Combine



Aug. 24, 1943. c. B. HoBsoN COMBINE Filed sept. 9, 941 5 sheets-sheet 2J 427 INVENTOR Cecil B. Hobson.

BY l M, M7 f M Fig. 3

Aug. 24, 1943. c; B. HoBsoN COMBINE Filed Sept. 9, 1941 5 Sheets-Sheet 5lNvEN-roR Cecll E). Hobson.

WIB-4.,

Patented Aug. 24, 1943 is :Stirn rre My invention relates tocombines. Ithas to do, more particularly, with combines which cut and thre'sh grainas they move over elds in which the grain stands. More specifically, itrelates to an attachment for combines of the type now commonly in usewhich is adapted to cut the straw or vine as it is discharged from thecombine and spread it over the field.

At the present time, combines are usually so constructed that the strawor`vine is discharged in its original length and in large bunches,formed in windrows behind the machine. It is usually the practice toburn this straw or vine or to spread it by hand over the field in orderto utilize the fertilizer value of the straw or vine. Attempts have beenmade to provide an attachment for a combine which would cut the straw orvine into short lengths and spread the material thinly over the fieldbehind the combine. However, such prior art attachments have not beensatisfactory. In the first place, the prior art attachments do not cutthe straw and distribute it thoroughly. Furthermore, with prior artattachments, it is necessary to provide somemeans forpositively forcingthe straw into the cutter since'the cutter is s o located that gravityfeed cannot be employed. Also, the cutters of these prior artattachments are of such a nature that large bunches of straw will causejamming ofthe cutter as they pass into the cutter. Also, these prior artattachments have been of such a nature that they arediiicult to attachto theI combine or to removetherefrom in order to permit the use ofother attachments.

One of the objects of my invention is to provide an attachment for acombine which will thoroughly cut Waste straw or vine resulting from thethreshing operation and will thoroughly and evenly distribute thismaterial over the field behind the combine so thatthe fertilizing valueof this material can be utilized.lv y, I

Another object of my invention is to provide an attachment of the typeindicated which can be attached to the' combine readily or canbe removedtherefrom readily in order to permit the use of other attachments.

Another object of my invention is to provide an attachment of the typeindicated forva combine which is so located relative to the dischargeoutlet of the combine thatv the straw or vine will be fed thereto bygravity. I

Another object of my invention is to provide an1\ attachment of the typeindicated which has cutting mechanism of such a nature that there willbe no danger of the cutting mechanism jamming. Another obiect of myinvention is to provide an attachment of the type indicated for acombine which is very simple in structure and can be manufactured andsold cheaply.

Various other objects will be apparent from the following description. iIn its preferred form my invention contem plates the provision of anattachment of the type .indicated which is attached to the combineadjacent the point Where the waste straw or vine, resulting from thethreshing operation, is discharged therefrom. This attachment. consistsmainly of a hopper which is so located that the straw or vine will befed thereinto by gravity. This hopper is attached at its inner side tothe combine by means which permits ready removal thereof. At its outerand bottom portion, the hopper is provided with a transversely extendingcutting member. This cutting member is of novel form land serves tofirst pull in and then cut up large bunches as they enter the cuttingmechanism and then shred and nely cut the strands of material. Then thismaterial is -fed by the cutting mechanism from an outlet at the outerside of the hopper and is spread'nely over the field.

The preferred embodiment of my invention is illustrated in theaccompanying drawings wherein similar characters 0f reference designatecorresponding parts and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective View of an attachment made according to myinvention and showing it positioned on the combine. l

Figure 2 is a view partly in side elevation and partly in verticalsection of my attachment,

Figure 3 is a plan view of the attachment.

Figure 4 is a detail in perspective showing a portion of the cuttingmechanism and the associated portion of the hopper.

Figure 5 is a perspective view showing the attachment mounted on acombine of a type commonly in use.

. With reference'to the drawings, in Figure 5 I have illustrated acombine l of a type with which my invention may be employed. At the rearand at one side of this combine a laterally extending housing portion 2is provided having a transversely extending discharge outlet 3 at itsupper end, through which straw or vine, resulting from Y thel threshingoperation, is discharged. As indicated best in Figure 2, the straw isdischarged from the outlet 3 in the usual manner by means of straw racksd. My attachment, indicated generally by the numeral 5, is attached tothe cuter side of this housing portion 2 directly below the outlett.

of the endsI to 'said bars. l yin this manner so that the lcuttingaction on the clearly appear, occurs at My attachment consists mainly ofa hopper 5 formed by vertically disposed side walls 1, an inner wall 8and an outer wall 9. 'I'he hopper is preferably formed of metal and thevarious walls are secured together in a suitable manner, as indicated.'I'he hopper is provided with a, number of angle iron braces I which aresuitably secured y together and to the hopper at each side thereof.

One end I I of these braces is disposed at the top of the hopper and isbolted by means of bolt I2 to a vertically disposed angle iron I3forming a part of housing portion 2. Another end I4 of these braces isdisposed at the lower end of the hopper and is secured by a bolt I5 tothe angle iron I3. These bolts are provided with long threaded portionspassing through suitable openings in member I3, for a purpose to bereferred to hereinafter. By means of the bolts I2 and I5, the attachmentmay be attached to or removed from the combine with ease.

It will be noted that the hopper is below the discharge outlet 3 and,therefore, the material will be f ed into the hopper by gravity. It willalsov be noted, particularly from Figure 2, that the Y bottom 8 of thehopper is inclined downwardly and outwardly from a pointdirectly belowthe straw racks 4. Furthermore, an extension I 91s provided on the,upper end of the bottom-8 which extends beneath the strawrack to insurethat all the straw will fall into the hopper 6. 'I'he forward Wall 9ofthe hopper is also inclined downwardly and rearwardly and is inslightly convergingrelationship with thebottom wall 8. The outer andlower edges of the walls 8 and 9 are spaced apart to form a lowerconstricted mouth which communicates with an outwardly extendingdischarge portion orY spout I'I of the hopper. This portion is formed byvertically disposed side plates I8 attached to the braces I0 and held inproper relationship by transversely extending reinforcing rods I9. Thisportion treme lowerend of hopper 6 serves asl a housing for the cuttingmechanism indicated generally by the numeral 20.

The cutting mechanism 20 is of novel form.

It embodies a rotatable shaft 2| disposed in bearings 22 carried byplates I8. At spaced intervals along the shaft 2|, blade-supporting bars23 are provided. The opposite ends of these bars are adapted to supportcutting blades 24. 'I'he bars v2'3 are keyed to shaft 2| and areangularly disposed relative to each other. The blades 24 may be boltedytothe ends of the bars. It will be noted that the blades 24 are flatandy are disposed in a plane perpendicular to lines extending radiallyfrom shaft 2|. 'I'he bar 23 at one end of the shaftis at right angles tothe bar 23 at the other end of the shaft and the blades 24 are curved tothe necessary extent from one end to the other about the axis of shaft2| to permit attachment straw, as will later more one point only alongthe blade at any instant. As shown best in Figure 2, each of the blades24 comprises a supportingbar 25l carrying a, cutting edge 26 which isremovably securedthereto byscrews 21. The bar means of bolts 28. l n

As shown best in Figure l2, thev cutting member 20 'willrotatecounterclockwise bottom lower edge` of the bottom-8, atransversely extend` ing cutting member 29 is provided for cooperat- 25is fastened to bars 23 by I8 together with the ex# y below the uppersurface win fau by gravity down into 'I'he blades are curved ing withthe blades 24 to produce a shearing action at this point. 'I'his cuttingmember 29 takes the form of a bar which has a. flange folded to thelower edge of the bottom plate l, as at 30. This bar 29 has an uppersurface 3| which is slightly curved to permit passage of the cuttingedge 26 thereover in close contact therewith. The inner and upper edge32 of this member 29 projects slightly above the Surface` of plate I andforms a shearing edge with which the cutting edge 26 cooperates. 'I'hebar 29 is mainly supported by a bar 33 which is bolted thereto by meansof bolts 34. 'Ihe ends of this bar 33 fit into wide vertical slotsformed in brackets 35 which are bolted to the plates I8. It will benoted that the plates I8 overlap the side walls I of the hopper and thatthe lower edges of the walls l are curved, as indicated at 3i, so as notto interfere with rotation of cutt' member 2l.

The bar 33 has a sleeve 33a welded to its lower edge and extending thefull length thereof. This sleeve receives a. hinge rod 33h which has itsends fastened in brackets 35. By adjusting sets of bolts 3l, provided inlbrackets 35and extending into the slots thereof, the bar 33 may betilted to different positions about rod 33h, in order, to tilt blade 29,the walls 8 and 39 flexing` enough fo permit this. The upper edge of bar33 is spaced of themember 29 and has secured thereto by means of screws38 the inner edge of a curved plate 39. This plate -39 is disposeddirectly `below-@cutting member 28. The outer edge of this plate `39is`suppor`ted by a rod `4|) carried by plates I8. This plate 39 is ofsuch a curvature that the blades 24 will be disposed closely adiacentthereto as they are revolved about the 'axis of shaft 2|. Theextremeouter portion 4I of this plate is directed upwardly and outwardly sothat the straw may be drawn upwardly and outwardly, as indicated inFigure 2.

In the operation of this attachment, the straw the hopper 6. 'I'he ablespeed. Bunches of the straw may fall between the blades 24 and thesebunches will be 39 and will be thrown-upwardly and outwardlyl from theplate39, as indicated bastin Figure 2. The shaft 2| of thefcuttingmember lmay be combine/for driving attachments adapted to' be combine.4By adjusting bolts I2 and I5 the'belt 43 maybe tightened or loosened.

By changing the speed ofrotation of the shaft "2|, the size of theparticles of straw cut by the be changed.' Furthermorer by.

member 20 may changing the speed ofthe cutting member, the

y or toward vthe y wall` 8 of the hopper. At the extreme .varied Becauseamount of straw entering into and being discharged from the cuttingmechanism` will'be the straw is directed upwardly by the plate 39, itwill-be spread more effectively because of the curvature of x A i2,327,893 since it wm merely graduauy settle te the earth' and willbedistributed more effectively asit falls through the air. Without theupwardly curved portion 4i of plate 39, no spreading would result.

It will be apparent from the above description that my attachment hasagnumber of advantages. It will cut the lstraw into short lengths andspread it uniformly over the eld. The straw will be fed from the combineby gravity into the hopper. 'ihe cutting mechanism is of such a naturethat it not only cuts the straw ederctively but also will not becomejammed by large bunches of straw. The attachment is of such a naturethat it may be readily applied to or removed from a combine.

The attachment is of simple structure and can be manufactured at a lowcost. The attachment is such that it will spread the straw evenly overthe field and will aid in conservation of the land. The straw willprevent erosion of the land, due to heavy rains. etc. It also serves asa fertilizer. Various other advantages will be apparent fromthe-preceding description, the drawings andthe following claims.

Having thus described my invention, what claim is:

i. In combination with a combine having a discharge outlet for straw orsimilar material, a hopper'or receiving the straw having a downwardlyextending bottom wall down which the straw will travel by gravity, acutting mechanism in the bottom of the hopper, a discharge outlet in.the hopper adjacent the cutting mechanism and beyond the cuttingmechanism, said cutting mechanism embodying a rotatable cutting memberformed of a plurality of longitudinally ex\ tending circumerentiallyspaced blades and a stationary blade carried by the bottom wall of thehopper at its lower end behind the rotatable member, said rotatablemember rotating toward said bottom wall so that the blades thereof willmore into shearing relationship with said stationary blade, and a curvedplate forming Ya continuation of the bottom wall` and extending fromsaid stationary blade rearwardly and upwardly through said dischargeoutlet to a point above Y the lowermost point of the path of movement cisaid blades of said rotatable member whereby said plate cooperates withthe rotatable member so as to distribute the straw over a wide area.

2. lin combination with a combine having a discharge outlet for straw orsimilar material, a

hopper for receiving the straw, a rotatable cutting mechanism at thebottom of the hopper, a discharge outlet in the hopper adjacent thecutting mechanism and beyond the cutting mechamism, said cuttingmechanism embodying a plurality or' longitudinally extendingcircumferentially spaced blades and a stationary blade carried by a wallof the hopper, said cutting mechanism including a driving pulley, and abelt drive extending from the combine to said pulley, said hopper beingattached to the combine by adinstable bolts to permit tightening of saidbelt drive.

3. in combination with a combine having a discharge outlet for straw orsimilar material, a hopper for receiving the straw having a downwardlyextending bottom wall down which; the straw will travel by gravity, acutting ,mechanism in the bottom of the hopper, a discharge outlet inthe hopper adjacent the cutting mechanism and beyond the cuttingmechanism, said cutting mechanism embodying a rotatable cutting memberformed of a plurality of longitudinally extending circumierentiallyspaced blades and a the hopper at its llower end behind the rotatablemember, said rotatable cutting member rotating toward said bottom wallso that the blades thereof will move into shearing relationship withsaid stationary blade, and a plate forming a continuation of the bottomwall and extending rearwardly from said stationary blade and upwardlythrough said discharge outlet to -a point above the. lowermost point o!the path of movement of said blades of said rotatable member wherebysaid plate cooperates with the rotatable member so as to dis-f tributethe straw overa wide area.

d. In combination .with a combine having a discharge outlet for straworsimilar material, a

hopper for receiving the straw having a downl 'wardly extending bottomwall down which the straw will travel by gravity, a rotatable cuttingmechanism in thej bottom ofthe hopper, a discharge outlet in the hopperadjacent the cutting mechanism and beyond the cutting mechanism, saidcutting mechanism. rotating toward said bottom wall, and a platedisposed below said cutting mechanism forming a continuation oi thebottom wall and extending rearwardly and upwardly through said dischargeoutlet to a point above the lowermost point of the path of movement ofsaid rotatable cutting mechanism whereby said plate cooperates with therotatable cutting mechanism so as to distribute the straw over a widearea. l

5. In combination with a combine having a discharge outlet for straworsimllar material, a hopper for receiving the straw, a rotatablecutting mechanism at the bottom of the hopper, a

, ing pulley, and avbelt drive extending from the combi-ne to saidpulley, and adjustable means for attaching said hopper to theV combinefor adjustably moving said hopper relative to the combine to permittightening or loosening of said` belt drive. y A

6. in combination with a combine having a dischargev Outlet for straw orsimilar material, a straw-cutting and spreading attachment assoelated.with said combine, said attachment embodyi-ng a hopper associated withsaid discharge outlet for receiving the straw therefrom, rotatablecutting mechanism in the hopper for cutting the straw, said cuttingmechanism being disposed at a point below said discharge outlet oi thecombine so that the straw will be fed thereto by gravity, said hopperhaving a discharge outlet beyond said cutting. mechanism towards whichsaid mechanism rotates and which cooperates wlth said cutting mechanismso as to distribute thestraw over a wide area,I

'3. In combinationwith a combine having a discharge outlet for straw orsimilar material', a straw-cutting and spreading attachment associatedwith said combine, said attachment embodying a hopper associated withsaid discharge outlet, said hopper having a downwardly and rearwardlyinclined bottom wall down which the straw will travel by gravity, acutting mechanism. disposed within said hopper and adjacent said wall,said cutting mechanism embodying a stationary blade carried by thebottom wall of i charge outlet of the combine so that the straw will befed thereto by gravity and rotating toward said wall so that the bladethereof will move into shearing relationship with said stationary blade,said hopper having a discharge outlet beyond said cutting mechanismtowards like frame, said fra-me being carried by a central supportingshaft to permit bunches of straw to pass radially between said blades toa point adjacent said shaft.

10. A structure according to claim 7 wherein said longitudinallyextending circumferentially spaced cutting blades are carried by aspiderlike frame, said frame being carried by a central supporting shaftto permit bunches of straw tn pass radially between said blades to apoint adjacent said shaft, said blades being curved laterally ofthemselves from one end to the other so that the shearing action takesplace at one point only at any instant during rotation of thecuttingblades.

CECIL B. HOBSON.

